Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2026. IRS ruling in Jun 1975.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
100 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
14 people listed on the 990; $102K paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 7 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2026 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon L Vaughan | $43,466 | $42,333 | $41,087 | $38,070 | $37,581 | $37,158 |
| Chad Russell | $39,981 | $38,809 | $37,660 | $35,065 | $34,293 | $33,788 |
| Mark Handler | — | $29,227 | $26,014 | $28,635 | $25,525 | $25,373 |
| Pam Shaw | — | — | $12,758 | $16,155 | — | — |
| Lisa Ribacoff | $13,561 | $16,154 | $4,380 | — | — | — |
| Michael C Gougler | — | — | — | — | $11,475 | $15,075 |
| Desiree Hurd | $5,065 | — | — | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See American Polygraph Association executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Promotes justice, safety, and security through professional polygraph examination standards and research.
Questions for American Polygraph Association
Your first name shows with your question. American Polygraph Association answers here, for everyone.
The association provides a peer review board to maintain professional standards, reviews the basic educational school curriculum with a school inspection activity and conducts internship programs.
By the numbers
The FY2026 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY26 | End FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $215K | $207K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $1.7M | $1.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $3K | $2K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.9M | $1.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.9M | $1.8M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $5K | $5K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $102K | $102K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $175K | $175K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $14K | $14K | ||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $833 | $833 | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $15K | $15K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $4K | $4K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $92K | $92K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $7K | $7K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $12K | $12K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $54K | $54K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $451K | $451K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $1K | $1K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $17K | $17K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $41K | $41K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $994K | $994K | $0 | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 15, 2026 | $854K | $994K | −$140K | $1.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2025Filed with the IRS May 30, 2025 | $899K | $948K | −$49K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Aug 29, 2024 | $891K | $875K | $16K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Aug 24, 2023 | $751K | $813K | −$62K | $1.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 7, 2022 | $624K | $685K | −$61K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Sep 24, 2021 | $415K | $405K | $10K | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2026 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $854,218 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 12 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $854,218 across 4 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $993,993 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,756,908 assets, 8 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,756,908 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2026 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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